HOW TO MANAGE STRESS AND FATIGUE

What is ‘Stress’

It is important to understand what is meant by ‘stress’. It means anything that puts a strain on your mind or body to adapt. That might be the physical effort of a run, or the mental strain and apprehension of an exam. Anything that puts a demand on the mind or body is strictly speaking ‘a stressor’.

External Stressors- are stressors in the external environment: noise, air pollution, adverse lighting, difficult relationships, adverse work conditions, major life changes, etc.

Internal stressors- are stressors which come from inside. They include poor diet, a lack of consistency and rhythm in personal or work life, unresolved conflicts, painful memories, pain, powerful but unexpressed feelings, unrealistic goals, negative expectations and pessimism, a tendency to be perfectionist, or an inability to recognize warning signs of tension and tiredness.

The stress response
Big stress- or the accumulation of smaller ones-will provoke an alarm reaction, called the ‘stress response’. This usually happens when there is an emergency. We all know how it feels to face one. Picture in your mind’s eye a shocking or sudden event-for instance suddenly having to brake to avoid a collision or having to jump back on to the kerb to avoid a speeding car. Perhaps even the thought was enough to speed up your heart and cause some tense feelings. So you can see that a mental picture alone can be enough to trigger the stress response. It is a ‘natural need for sudden action’ mode , an instinctual preparation for an emergency. But it can also be triggered by any stressor which we feel to be an emergency. In fact whether a threat is actual or imagined the stress response is exactly the same: your heart speeds up, muscles tense, breathing quickens, blood pressure rises, body and mind go on guard and the body’s energies are temporarily diverted from maintenance activities ( Like digestion-hence the ‘butterflies in the tummy’ feeling) and into survival mode.


Emergency and After
The stress response is an instinctive survival reaction developed for aggression or escape. Our ancestors used this emergency nervous energy to face saber-toothed tigers. They literally had to fight or run, after which they would lie down exhausted to rest. With the pressure off, physical and mental energy could be restored and this involved another set of natural responses which switch in to help build us up again. This relaxation response sustains well being by reversing all those flight and fight emergency reactions. It is exactly the opposite of that tension and over alertness we need when we have to pull out the stops in the face of a sudden threat to short term survival.

But I feel Stressed all the time!
When a lot of stressors are active at once or follow each other in succession and overlap, then the stress response, which should be short lived, starts to linger and may be repeatedly boosted as new stressors accumulate. This can create a vicious cycle – with body and mind always on the alert. Some experts call this the stressed state and this is what people generally mean when they complain about ‘being stressed’. Useful though the emergency response can be when dangers are real, if body and mind are constantly behaving as if there is physical danger near then exhaustion and jitters from tense muscles, overactive circulation and senses are the likely result. And when there constant low –level reactions to stress begin to cause discomfort, sleeplessness, irritability and poor concentration a vicious circle starts up as we begin to get tense about our own symptoms of tension!

Stress reduction
One way to manage this would be by changing the number of external stressors- by cutting down the demands, taking more breaks, getting time off or having a holiday reviewing priorities so as to match goals to resources. It is well worth examining the pressures you have come to take for granted as inevitable, and to change what you can. But it may not realistically be possible to reduce demands. And if the stressors are internal a better option might be to get help and talk through your predicaments and inner conflicts. Counseling can help here. Nowadays, of course, the ‘dangers’ we feel we face are more to do with job, relationships, family , traffic, noise, overcrowding.. in fact just plain everyday twenty first century life. And from which – unlike the saber-tooth tiger- there is no running away! But instincts are instincts so. As pressure builds up, mind and body may begin to switch on the same old primitive preparations for flight or fight.

Stress addiction
So mostly our ‘tigers’ don’t actually chase us, even our body –mind may react as if the traffic jam or the missed appointment is a physical threat. To a certain extent the stress response can work in our favor, if it gives us the edge to meet a deadline or perform under pressure. The ‘adrenaline rush’ that stimulates our performance can be useful, giving us that bit extra even though we are exhausted. It is something we all need from time to time for a short term boost. Some people actually get to depend on a continual adrenaline fix to keep going, and always seem to manage to maintain pressure on themselves and those around them by setting unrealistic targets and turning everything into a competition. This can work for years, until the wear and tear starts to take its toll in the form of high blood pressure, heart and circulation problems.

Who is in control?
Perhaps you feel that mental and emotional strain are an unavoidable feature of the jungle your life seems to have become, and you know that are suffering because of this tension. It could be that your body-mind has forgotten that stress responses are supposed to be followed in a natural order of thing- by a relaxation response. In the hectic time we live in we need to respect this natural fact of life, and relearn how the relaxation response works as to build it into everyday life. Then strain and tension can be counterbalanced by the reviving and sustaining influence of deep relaxation.

Why learn a relaxation technique?
It is important to rediscover the ability to calm the body and mind and know how to tap into processes which quiten the hurry, tension and over arousal which modern day stressors easily provoke in us. When you know how, you can actually learn to let muscles relax, heart and breathe calm down and thoughts still them selves as body and mind become quieter.

Stress management
It would be wrong to think that relaxation techniques are the answer to everything. Stress management is a combination of stress reduction, insight into your internal stressors and skillful use of the relaxation response by learning how to break into the vicious cycle of stress responses. By learning to switch on the relaxation response the stressed state can – up to a point- be avoided or improved. Internal factors – conflicts, anxieties , attitudes and beliefs- can be helped by counseling or psychotherapy. Time management might be needed to deal with work issues. Other kinds of lifestyle changes- nutrition, exercise- would be part of the package too. It would be wrong to think that relaxation techniques are the answer to everything.

Remedies
Physical activity: Indoor, Out door games, Outing, Long walks etc

Relaxation techniques( Progressive Muscle relaxation) , Anti Arousal breathing Pranayama, Aerobic exercises ( Heart and lungs) , Yoga , Meditation, Prayer,

Relationships: Bonding well with family, friends, Social Service, Philanthropy etc.,

Medicines:
Herbs: Aswagandha, Tagara, Tea ( in limited quantity), Amla
Aroma: Incense, Lavender oil, Lemon grass oil


What if I feel too exhausted to cope?

Tiredness can be a feature of the stressed state, because dealing with change-especially if it is unfamiliar or continually demanding-does use up energy. So when life feels stressful the ‘ energy supply’ available may need to be increased by getting the right sort of support, rest and insight into the stressors you are having to deal with; whether they are internal or external stressors.



Yukti Organization for Grasp of Ayurveda(YOGA),

http://yuktihealth.4mg.com/

http://www.geocities.com/yukti4health